My travels in Brooklyn, N.Y. A photoset [p1]
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From Space: New York City at Night
One of the Expedition 35 crew members aboard the Earth-orbiting International Space Station exposed this 400 millimeter night image of the greater New York City metropolitan area on March 23, 2013.
For orientation purposes, note that Manhattan runs horizontal through the frame from left to the midpoint. Central Park is just a little to the left of frame center.
The Forgotten Corners of Uptown NYC
Now that I think of it, my favorite smoking spots of NYC are all forgotten places, that is, places that are never really thought of when you’re thinking of a nice place to walk or promoted in magazines or even mentioned all that much when articles talk about NY. The calming parts of the hood I guess. And it’s not even by choice, these are just the places the NYPD has driven us to because of the idiotic marijuana policies that turn innocents to criminals by law. But to anyone considering a trip to the upper west side of Manhattan, it’s not all gloom up here. This is a nice little assortment of images I’ve taken of said places.
A transformer explodes on 14th street.
Sun Turns NYC into ‘Manhattanhenge’ Tonight
Image: The view of the 2005 Manhattanhenge from Long Island City in Queens. Credit: Hhawk | wikicommons
New Yorkers will be treated to a splendid sight this evening (July 12): It’s one of two days a year when the setting sun aligns perfectly with Manhattan’s street grid. As the sun sets on the Big Apple, it will illuminate both the north and south sides of every cross street.
The event has been dubbed “Manhattanhenge” for the way it turns New York City into a Stonehenge-like sun dial.
The sun sets perfectly in line with the Manhattan street grid twice a year, explains astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson on the Hayden Planetarium website. The first round of Manhattanhenge 2012 happened at dusk on May 29. The peak viewing time for tonight’s repeat event is 8:25 p.m. EDT.
Genius Cops Caught Apparently Planting Evidence By Own Dash Camera
Here’s a video of two Utica, N.Y. police officers searching a car during a traffic stop. At 1:02, one officer pulls a small baggie of something out of his pocket and ducks into the car; at 1:31, he emerges again, holding the same baggie. Oops!
The video was obtained by the Utica Phoenix, which goes to great lengths to avoid specifically accusing the officers of evidence-planting. We understand! The cops are only “apparently” planting evidence: it’s also possible that they just completely and egregiously mishandled the evidence they found. Utica cops [are] also “apparently” really good at finding drugs on the property of black residents. +
New York at Night
Credit: NASA, STS-59 Crew
NYCC 2011 Pre-Show Commission - Black Widow
NYCC 2011 Pre-Show Commission - Steampunk Batgirl
it looks like he’s moshed and opened pits before
#OccupyWallstreet: Our Mission
Is America Ripe for a Tahrir Moment?
On the 17th of September, we want to see 20,000 people to flood into lower Manhattan, set up tents, kitchens, peaceful barricades and occupy Wall Street for a few months. Once there, we shall incessantly repeat one simple demand for radical and immediate change in a plurality of voices, following the example set by our Egyptian brothers and sisters in Tahrir Square.
The time has come to deploy this emerging stratagem against the greatest corrupter of our democracy: Wall Street, the financial Gomorrah of America. It’s time that the people took back the streets to let Wall Street and this corrupt government know that CORPORATIONS ARE NOT PEOPLE and that we demand democracy, not corporatocracy!
Occupy Wall Street: Legal Information
If you are participating in actions on or following September 17 related to Occupy Wall Street, you might want to familiarize yourself with the following legal information:
Download this document to print and circulate (PDF)
Preparation
If you receive a phone call from the Intelligence Division of the Police Department asking for information about September 17, you are not required to answer them. It is recommended that you arrive to Wall Street with legal contact information written on your wrist or ankle; there is no guarantee that information written on paper will be accessible in the event of arrest.
During the Occupation
Provided that you do not block building entrances or more than half of a sidewalk, it is legal
to have a moving picket line and hand out literature. You are also legally allowed to use whistles, drums, and any other non-amplified generators of sound. Unless a permit is obtained, it is unlawful to march in the streets, have a procession with 50 or more automobiles or bicycles, gather with more than 20 people in a public park, or use amplified sound. Public parks close at 10 PM. A permit is not being requested for the occupation. According to the New York Civil Liberties Union, amplified sound is prohibited “within 500 feet of a school, courthouse or church during hours of school court or worship, or within 500 feet of a hospital… [and] between 10 p.m. and 9 a.m. in nonresidential areas.”It is illegal for more than two people to wear masks, including bandanas, during a demonstration. The New York City Police Department will take away any signs that use wooden sticks, metal, or PVC pipes, as well as any signs that are affixed to public property. Hanging a banner from a bridge can lead to being charged with reckless endangerment.
You are allowed to sleep on the sidewalk as part of a political protest without a permit (Met Council v. NYPD, 2000); however, you must keep half of the sidewalk clear for pedestrians. It is unlawful for structures such as tents to be erected.
If You Come into Contact with the Police During the action, if police prevent you from leaving, ask if you are free to go. If they ask to search you or your bag, you should repeatedly state, “I do not consent to a search.” The New York City chapter of the National Lawyers Guild advises that if you are arrested, it is best to say, “I am going to remain silent. I want to speak to a lawyer.” The police can legally lie when attempting to acquire information from you. You have the right to ask for an officer’s name and badge number. If you are mistreated, obtain this information as well as contact information of witnesses. If you are injured, take photographs of the injuries as soon as possible. Lastly, the National Lawyers Guild states, “If you are undocumented, out of status, a legal permanent resident (green card holder), or a citizen, you do not have to answer any questions about your immigration history [to government officers].”
